India’s ambitious climate and clean energy targets are redefining the investment landscape for renewables and electric vehicles. As international and domestic players intensify their focus on these sectors, one of the most critical determinants of project viability is land.While dedicatedrenewable energy (“RE”)parks and/or designated zones with pre-acquired land and transmission infrastructure may help in streamlining project development, developers must still account for project-specific environmental clearances, construction permissions, and proximity to substations or transmission corridors.
With respect to solar and wind energy projects, as well as green hydrogen, significant land, real estate, and related infrastructural resources may be necessary, with site selection being one of the most critical early-stage considerations. Existing land-related challenges in India’s RE and green hydrogen sector involve availability, cost, and access issues, particularly for large-scale deployments, including on account of land conflicts, user restriction and domestic population density.
In general, securing/ acquiring land in India involves a complex matrix of legal, regulatory, and socioeconomic factors, including on account of varying ownership patterns across states, and issues such as fragmented titles, complicated land revenue systems, complex tenancy rights, litigation, and opposition from local communities.For energy companies, ‘clean tech’ and sovereign wealth funds, as well as infrastructure investors, the challenge lies in balancing legal certainty with commercial agility and social license.